The Only Thing Left is the Emptiness
by LadyDiablo
Summary: After being drenched by Ron’s botched potion, Malfoy is in the Hospital wing. What are the strange sideeffects and why does he crave water so much? DMRW
1. Chapter 1

**The Only Thing Left is the Emptiness**

**By LadyDiablo**

**Pairing: Ron/Draco**

**Disclaimer: This is not mine. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**This is my first fan fiction and I need a beta reader! If anyone feels up to it, please e-mail me.**

**Chapter 1**

Potions were the first lesson of the day, and things already started out bad. Not only had Harry been paired with Draco Malfoy, but their potion looked more like oil then the light blue potion they were supposed to be brewing. Even Longbottom's potion looked acceptable. But on the other hand, Hermione's and Ron's potion didn't look spot on either. It was bright orange and bubbling ferociously.

Harry let out a sigh and flopped down on his chair in a boneless heap. Professor Snape was for sure going to fail him now, he was sure of it.

He looked over at Malfoy and saw that the boy had a nasty smile on his lips, wretched little ferret that he is.

"You did this, didn't you?" Draco looked at Harry, pretending to be surprised. The stunned look on his face looked real enough, but it was ruined by the unpleasant twinkle in his storm-grey eyes.

"Why, Potter, would I ever do something like this?" he said and swept with his hand at their ruined potion.

"Maybe you want to see me fail Potions, which I'm probably going to do anyway. I don't know your sick reasons." Harry whispered, trying not to shout.

"Yes, like this is good for MY grades! I wouldn't be surprised if you put too many frog legs in it. In the instructions it clearly says two and two only. Everybody knows that you have a hard time following directions." Harry glared at Malfoy. He started to get increasingly irritated.

"Oh, please! Like Snape's going to fail you, you suck up, spoiled little rich bra…"

"Harry, stop!" Harry was just getting warm, when Hermione stopped him.

He turned to her and glared at her. These days he rarely got very far in his insults towards the blonde-haired boy, seeing as Hermione always stepped in to prevent him in time. Therefore he settled on just glaring at Malfoy.

"So, I'm a spoiled little brat? Well, I wonder what your father did to professor Dumbledore that makes him like you so much. I bet they were seeing each other in some forgotten storeroom, or maybe the Astronomy tower. What else could it be?"

The whole classroom was noiseless by now. Harry's eyes was blazing and he was shaking with rage, and somewhere in the back of his wrath-filled mind he vaguely wondered why Professor Snape had not swept in on them yet.

If Malfoy knew what was good for him, which he obviously prided himself in knowing, he would have stopped right there. But alas, the mouth sometimes works faster then the mind.

"And your poor mother, I bet she didn't even kn…" SMACK!

Shocked gasps erupted in the room. The only one who had ever smacked Malfoy was Hermione, but this time to everyone's surprise, it was Ron. He stood in front of Malfoy, shaking almost as bad as Harry, fists clenched at his side.

"How dare you talk about Harry's parents like that? If someone's low it's you. I should probably ask you what your father did to Snape in their schooldays, to make him like YOU so much. You're probably the only one who is going to pass potions. And why might that be?"

Harry had now unclenched his fists and sat down in his chair to calm down. He was instead watching Malfoy and Ron glower at each other, each trying to surpass the other. He was kind of glad that it was Ron and not himself, he didn't know what he'd do if he would have been standing in front of Malfoy now. Hermione was standing behind him, her hand on his shoulder, both calming him and preventing him from flying at Malfoy. He decided to leave the flying to Ron.

Both Malfoy and Ron looked at each other with equal hate. Even though Ron was known for his temper, he managed to collect himself enough to take a deep breath, slowly go back to his and Hermione's worktable, pick up their cauldron with the orange potion, and go back to Malfoy.

"You scum." He said, before dumping their entire potion over Malfoy, who was too engrossed in snickering with Crabbe and Goyle to even react before it happened.

For a split second, the entire room was deadly quiet before the Gryffindor half of the class erupted in cheers and laughs.

It was at that exact time that Snape decided to walk in, but stopped abruptly in his tracks at the sight that welcomed him.

Malfoy was all covered in the orange sticky mass that was supposed to be Ron and Hermione's potion. It had already started to soak through his robes. He was glaring bloody daggers at Weasley, who just stared back at him with a calm appearance.

Now, what's wrong with that picture? Snape looked from an enraged Draco Malfoy to a strangely composed Ron Weasley.

Yes, that's it. Weasley was never calm in situations like these. Either they were fighting at this time, or they were by now on their way to the hospital wing.

Malfoy took a small step towards Ron, and was about to say something, when his eyes grew big and his mouth dropped open.

He was breathing hard and wrapped his arms around his stomach, when he suddenly he fell down to his knees shaking. Snape was instantly by his side and held him by the back to prevent him from falling further.

"Mr. Malfoy, are you alright?" he asked the boy.

"I…" he stopped as his body started trembling violently and he clenched his teeth.

Hermione watched with a worried expression on her face. She turned to Ron, who actually appeared a little guilty; even if he thought Malfoy deserved it. They looked at each other and then they turned to Harry.

"Oh God, it burns!" They suddenly heard Malfoy scream.

They whipped around at his scream of pain, and could do nothing besides stare as Professor Snape picked him up, holding his arms carefully behind Malfoy's back and under his knees, like a small child. Malfoy's head lolled against Snape's shoulder and his half-closed eyes were unseeing.

Professor Snape carried him easily, while ordering Pansy Parkinson to hurry to Headmaster Dumbledore and dismissing the rest of the class. Either he was a very strong man, or Malfoy didn't weigh very much, because he easily ran out the potions classroom and headed towards the hospital wing.

As soon as Snape and Malfoy were gone, the room exploded in hushed whispers that grew louder by the second. Nobody had left yet, but they had all begun to pack their potions ingredients.

"Did you see that?"

"What happened?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked silently at each other and agreed to follow to the hospital wing. They took their bags and made their way from the noisy classroom unnoticed. Even though they didn't like Malfoy, they had to know what happened. They couldn't feel smug about getting the best of Draco Malfoy if he was dead.

* * *

They arrived just in time to see Madame Pomfrey lean over the bed where Malfoy laid, trying to calm him down. Even though she didn't like the boy very much, she felt sorry for him.

He had a hard time trying not to scream, and a few tears had found their way from his eyes down his pale cheeks. Finally he gave in to the obvious pain, and screamed high. The bloodcurdling scream was high and agonized enough to make the glass in the windows vibrate.

"Oh, God…" Hermione had her hands over her mouth and she was staring in horror at Malfoy. Ron and Harry stood behind her in the doorway and their eyes were just as big as hers.

"What happened?" Madame Pomfrey asked Snape, as she walked over to a shelf and tried to find something to take Malfoy's pain away. Professor Snape was standing on the other side of the boy's bed, a tentative hand resting beside his head. The expression on his face was one as close to concern as the trio had seen on the sourly Potions Master.

"He got Miss Grangers and Mr. Weasley's potion over him. Something was wrong with it, but I didn't have the time to figure out what."

Snape conveniently left out the part where Ron actually poured the potion over him, even though Harry, Ron and Hermione couldn't fathom why he missed a chance to humiliate them. But he did send a glare in their direction.

Madame Pomfrey looked sadly at Malfoy, and decided to give him some powerful muggle painkillers until she knew the sedative-potion wouldn't mix badly with whatever was making Malfoy ill. She presented the pills to Malfoy, who without hesitation swallowed them with a glass of water.

He then sank down on the bed again, trying to take deep breaths while waiting for the pills to work. He closed his eyes, and his breathing slowly returned to normal.

Snape let out a big sigh, and Pomfrey promised to notify him if something changed. He then headed towards the door with a last glance at Malfoy, and a glare at The Trio as he passed them on his way out.

Madame Pomfrey checked over Malfoy one last time before she headed to her office. She did not even notice the three of them standing at the door.

They gave each other a nervous glance before they slowly walked over to Malfoy's bed. As they silently stood beside it, they couldn't help but notice how pained Malfoy still looked.

"I feel so awful." Ron said in a small voice. He looked up at Harry and Hermione. "If it was not for me, we could still be arguing as normal, and everything would still be as it should. "

Harry knew that Ron has a big heart that comes from having a large and loving family. He also knew that Ron would always stand by his side no matter what, but it was still surprising to hear Ron say that, especially about his enemy. It was even more astonishing to see Ron's next move.

Ron hesitantly laid his hand on Malfoy's. To his and the others surprise, Malfoy took the hand in his and squeezed it tight. He opened his light grey eyes sleepily and looked up into Ron's eyes.

"I'm so sorry." Ron said after a moment of silence.

And he really meant it. Malfoy smiled tiredly, but it was a true smile. That one true smile made him look different, not at all like the sneering and sarcastic smiles. He was actually pretty handsome. Maybe they had all misunderstood him. Maybe they had all made the classical mistake to not see behind the façade, behind the typical Slytherin behavior.

"Don't be. I'm too tired and in too much pain to be mad at you right now." He stopped and closed his eyes for a minute. The painkillers had obviously started to work, and he was getting sleepy. When he opened them again, they were a dark shade of grey, instead of the usual light silvery grey. "But you just wait until I get out of here!"

He smiled that one true smile again and closed his eyes, still holding Ron's hand.

* * *

He must have gone crazy. Definitely too many bludgers to the head at practice. That has got to be the only explanation. Why would he otherwise of his own free will apologize to his enemy and HOLD HIS HAND?

Yes, he had been shocked when he had seen Malfoy in the hospital wing, crying in pain, but that was certainly not enough reason to comfort him and ask for forgiveness. And forgiveness for what exactly? It was Malfoy that started by insulting Harry and his parents. He only got what was coming to him.

Ron was sitting in his bed in the boy's dormitory. It was a quarter to twelve and the rest of them were already asleep. He and Harry had stayed up with Hermione in the common room, talking about both all and nothing. They completely ignored the subject of one Draco Malfoy.

He had put his wand in a holder at the headboard with a _lumos_-charm lighting up the insides of his drawn curtains. If Hermione knew that he actually had the transfigurations book open she would pass out cold in astonish. But he was not truly reading. He was using the conveniently heavy book to smack his head with regular intervals.

How in the Wizarding World could he be so utterly stupid? They were supposed to be enemies. Sure, he knew that Malfoy was good looking; otherwise, he would not be a Malfoy. But looks were not all. There had to be something inside the good looking shell also. And the Malfoy family's cold and egocentric ways of thinking were not enough. It certainly did not make up for the handsome face.

Two years ago, in his fourth year, he had discovered that he was as attracted to the male anatomy as much as the female. He knew this when he and Seamus Finnegan had shared a few heated kisses in detention one night in the cold dungeons. They did not go further then, instead they agreed to remain good friends and they thought nothing of it. Of course there had been shock and a little self-doubt, but eventually he overcame it. After all, Bill had a steady boyfriend since three years back, and none in the family had reacted bad to them, so how wrong could it be?

He had also had a brief crush on his best mate. That's right, Harry Potter. But that had soon disappeared. He would admit in a heartbeat that Harry was extremely good-looking with his remarkable green eyes, unruly black hair and lopsided smile. However, after a few months of desire and pining he discovered that it did not go further than just that. One didn't have to be in love to enjoy beauty after all. He had quickly overcome his infatuation and for the last year he had not actually thought of anyone special.

So why was he thinking of Draco -bloody- Malfoy?

He was beginning to get dizzy from banging his head, and his transfigurations book now had a brand new tear right over _'How to transfigure a stick into a broom'_.

* * *

When he woke up he could see through his parted curtains that it was dark outside. The moon left an extensive strip of light on the left side of the hospital wing, right by his bed, slashing majestically through the chilling dark. He could see the outlines of the other empty beds lined up in the room, four beds on his side of the room and eight beds on the right side of the room. He lay awake for some time, and could unmistakably hear the creaking of the castle walls and the rats running around inside the floor and ceiling, making an irritating gnawing noise whenever they found something they deemed edible.

He did not feel anything, just emptiness. It was the kind of emptiness that comes after a dire nightmare in which you just can't remember what happened. You can feel your heart racing and your pulse beat as fast a rabbit's, but you can't remember why you're afraid. When this has passed, the only thing left is the emptiness.

It was this kind of feeling that haunted Draco Malfoy when he woke up in the middle of the night, alone, in the hospital wing.

* * *

It was Friday, the day after _The Incident_. It was a quarter to eight and Ron, Harry and Hermione sat down at the breakfast table in the Great Hall. They were later then normal, because they had slept in that morning. After the events on Thursday and their long talk in the common room in the evening, they had all without intention slept longer that normal. Therefore they only had about fifteen minutes before their first class of the day.

"Oh my God, now I don't have time to rehearse the charms-homework!" Hermione was in a state of grave panic. Not only had she been made to eat as speedy as she possible could, but she had not had any time to study at breakfast. Normally one could not keep up a normal conversation with her in breakfast time, because she was usually involved in something very large and thick. She would be sitting with a cup of hot chocolate or a glass of pumpkin-juice and the only answers you could get from her was a preoccupied "hmm" or a distant "yes, that's right". But sometimes she could actually surprise everybody in hearing range by sticking in small comments between sentences.

One time, in fifth year, a few of the boys had been engrossed in a discussion about girls – they should know better that talk about girls when the subjects of discussion are at the table and most likely to listen in. But do they ever learn? No.

"Girls are impossible when it comes to sports. They don't know anything, they don't even care who wins the Quidditch World Cup!" The unfortunate boys who had said that were no other than their own redheaded Ron Weasley.

Hermione had instantly looked up from her large book and gave Ron _The Look._

"_What_ did you just say?" she had said with a false silky voice. Ron looked at her with a bewildered and a tiny hint of fright.

"I said that girls are impos…"

"I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID!"

"Then why did you ask- "

"RON WEASLEY! How dare you say something like that? All of you! Or have you forgotten that there are and have been many great girls on the house team? Or maybe you think they are in on it because the color of the quaffle match with the Quidditch robes?" In her tirade her voice had become steadily higher and higher until every eye in the Great Hall was fixed on the Gryffindor table.

"But Hermione… We didn't –"

But Hermione was not finished yet, she was just getting started. She had been in a bad mood all day, and now was the perfect moment to take it out on someone. Her light brown eyes had gone dark with rage and even her hair was standing on edge. She rounded on Seamus who had had the nerve to utter the last statement, as quick as lightning.

"Just because I'm not on the team and don't fantasize about becoming a famous Quidditch star legend, you assume that I'm not interested in sports?"

The boys had had the decency to look ashamed. Even Harry, who had in fact been sitting a few seats down the table with Fred and George and the rest of the Quidditch team discussing tactics, had looked berated. Angelina and Katie looked furious beyond words. Even Fred and George looked at their little brother with disapproval. They knew better.

Hermione stopped her tirade that had been going on for quite a while and took several large breaths. Then, without a word, she had picked up her book and put it in her bag and left the Great Hall, eyes following her.

Even the professors had paused in their dinner to see what was going on this time, though most of them looked amused. Even one Draco Malfoy had looked at Hermione with a small ounce of respect that time. One tiny small ounce of respect.

After this incident, there had been no more spoken mistakes in the company of women. Not yet anyway, though knowing teenage boys, there definitely would be.

* * *

The day passed without any strange things happening. At History of Magic Professor Binns droned on about the theory behind wands and their making. Even though this subject should be one of the more interesting subjects, especially for one as boring as Binns, he managed to put half of the students in a coma-like state. The ones that was not staring ahead of them and seeing nothing were idly doodling or, like Ron and Seamus for instance, asleep with their heads propped upon their arms on the table. Ron had even gone so far as to bring a small cushion for a more comfortable rest. It's not as if Professor Binns would notice anyway.

Hermione looked at him with her usual look of disapproval. Not that that was anything new. Harry had been staring unblinking at the top frame of a painting of Hermes the Hideous behind Professor Binns desk for the past fifteen minutes. Everything was pleasantly fussed and the colors were blending together in a big blob on the grey stonewall. That was all fine with him anyway, because he really did not want to see Hermes the Hideous in clear view. He certainly did earn his name fair and square.

Nothing more interesting happened that day if you don't count the small swarm of Cornish pixies that jumped up from under the Gryffindor table at lunch, tearing through the mashed potatoes and tossing green-peas and broccoli at everyone within reach. The little blue creatures created great havoc before Professor McGonagall, with the help of a sullen Filch, finally managed to capture them. Nobody had the faintest idea where they came from, even though the Slytherins' were having quite a laugh.

* * *

When Draco woke up again in the Hospital wing he was alone. He sighed and turned his head to the left, where the bedside table was. There was no get well card or candy. Well, that was not anything new. Nobody ever gave him anything when he was ill.

In second year, he came down with magical chickenpox, as he hadn't had the luck to get it when he was little, so it was so much worse then. He had aching rashes everywhere, he did not want to lie down because it hurt and he did not want to sit up because he was too tired, cause of the fever that was up about 40 degrees Celsius. Nobody cared enough to send him a card or candy then and nobody cares now. The only one that showed that he cared was Professor Snape, but that did not really count. Sure, he was great, he was his godfather after all, but it just was not the same as a real friend.

When he was little ha was never allowed to be out and play, his father always said that it would tarnish the Malfoy name if anyone ever saw him playing in the woods like a common child. The only friends he had were Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle and they were brought up just like him; no playing and no getting dirty.

His body still ached after what had happened with the potion. Nobody had explained anything, seeing as he had fallen asleep from the muggle painkillers rather quickly and no one had been there to explain when he had awoken in the night.

Carefully he checked his body and found that he could move everything relatively well, although the aching in his body had not diminished. He was relieved to discover that he did not have any extra limbs or anything of that sort.

As he lay down and prepared to go back to sleep again, he failed to notice the silver-shimmering fish-like scales growing on the inside of his wrists and on the base of his throat.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Only Thing Left is the Emptiness**

**By LadyDiablo**

**Pairing: Ron/Draco Slash. Don't like, don't read.**

**Disclaimer: This is not mine. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**This is my first fan fiction and I need a beta reader! If anyone feels up to it, please e-mail me.**

**Chapter 2**

It was Saturday morning, almost noon, and Ron and Harry were still lying in bed when there was a knock on the door.

"Hey boys, are you decent? Can I come in?" It was Hermione outside the door. She had learned, quickly and embarrassingly, that she should really learn how to knock.

"Come on in, Hermione!" Ron shouted, looking up from his Quidditch magazine. Hermione opened the door and walked into the room. She sat down on the edge of Ron's bed and scowled a bit at the magazine. She looked over at Harry who was still buried deep within the blankets and pillows and she could hear deep slow breaths of sleep.

"Is he still asleep?" she asked in disbelief. Ron looked up from his magazine and over at Harry. All he could see from the other boy was his trademark shaggy black hair and one of his hands, though he couldn't figure out in what position ha laid, because the hand looked decidedly twisted in a very uncomfortable way.

"He's been dead asleep all morning. He had another nightmare again, woke us all up at around three thirty." he looked at his best friend in concern. They both knew that there was nothing they could do to comfort him, except wake him up when he had the nightmares. Sometimes he would let Ron comfort him and other times he drew away from contacts altogether and lay down again without saying a word. Ron did not even think Harry was aware at times like that.

"Well, we can't do anything to help him before he wakes. He needs all the sleep he can get." she said as she got up from Ron's bed. She then picked up a piece of paper and a pen from his bedside table.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked, though she was busy writing and ignored his question. Soon she was done and placed the note on Harry's bedside table on the other side of the boy's bed and turned to Ron.

"We are going to visit Malfoy in the Hospital wing. I'll be waiting for you in the common room." she stated matter-of-factly before turning and heading out the door before Ron could question her.

He sat in the bed for a second, his mouth opening and closing in confusing. What did she say? Malfoy? He had told himself that he had forgotten all about the Slytherin boy, although that wasn't quite the truth of course. He hadn't forgotten about the boy at all, all morning long he had wondered how Malfoy was doing in the Hospital wing and if he was better yet. He couldn't decide on what emotion to settle on. One big part of him was irritated, as he always was in the presence of Malfoy no matter what, while a small part of him was quite worried about the boy and what had happened to him. Another part of him, though he couldn't for the life of him figure out why, was annoyed with the guilt he was feeling. After all it was entirely his fault. If he hadn't dumped their potion on Malfoy when he did, none of this would have happened and he wouldn't have these problems.

After he had showered and dressed, and thought about this for some time, he decided to settle on being irritated at Hermione for even dragging him to where Malfoy was. Though he couldn't help put notice that he wasn't putting up much of a struggle.

* * *

Draco had been awake since half past seven in the morning and he was bored. Madam Pomfrey had finally left him alone about an hour ago, after discovering the scales on his wrists and neck. She had done extensive tests on them, prodding and touching and what else, and consequently he was not in the best of moods. 

He was now lying in his pajamas, rolling his thumbs, and looking at the wooden ceiling. Madam Pomfrey had refused to let him out before she was absolutely sure that he was okay and that the scales were the only side effect of the potion. Even Professor Snape had been up to try to convince her that he was fully capable of looking after his god-son, but she was having none of it. So he was stuck here for at least another day.

He was surprised when he heard the doors to the Hospital wing creak open and he bent his head to look in the direction. Other the Pomfrey, and Professor Snape, he had not seen anyone else there. But he had of course been asleep a lot of the time. Ha had a vague memory of seeing the golden trio standing at his bed right after the incident, but he had chalked it of as a dream. A very strange dream that had involved touching and smiling. Oh, well, he did not need to be thinking about that now. Or maybe he did.

Two of the said trio had just walked through the doors, the bushy-haired girl in lead. She walked up to his bed and greeted him stiffly although politely. The redheaded boy lagged behind, but soon stood at the bottom of the bed. The three looked at each other in silence for a very long awkward moment.

"What are you doing here?" Draco decided to ask as none of the others seemed inclined to say anything more then Hermione's rather uncomfortable greeting.

"Uh, well w-we just wanted to see if you were all right after what happened. Kind of." Ron stuttered as he inspected the thumbnail on his left hand.

"Do you truly expect me to believe that?" Draco sneered with disdain as he looked at the others in disbelief. Granger gave him an indignant scowl as she answered him.

"Not really, but it's the truth."

Draco didn't know what to say to that, so he stayed quiet and looked at them in suspicion. Why were they here? Why would the Gryffindors come to see him when none of his Slytherin classmates had been to see him yet? His mind was going in circles and he tried not to let his confusion show on his face.

He noticed only now that the Granger girl was holding something in her hand and it looked like a bag of Bernie Botts' Every Flavor Beans. How did she know they were his favorites? Apparently she noticed him glancing at the bag and promptly held it forward to him.

"It's for you." she said simply.

He looked between them again, not believing what he was seeing. He slowly reached out to take the bag from her when she suddenly grabbed his arm in a solid grip. He was so startled he nearly jumped, but as it is, Malfoys do not jump. Not at any occasion.

"What's this?" she said as she turned his arm over, exposing the silver-shining scales on the inside of his wrist. He shuddered in aversion as she stroked her fingers over the scales slowly. She looked quite fascinated with them and he didn't know how to stop her from touching him, so he simply wrenched his arm away from her grip. He felt the ache in his body return when he did that, surprised that he was not as well as he had believed. He realized that he hadn't stopped the look of pain from flashing on his face as both the Gryffindors looked at him in concern.

"These are the effect of the potion. I don't know why they appeared or anything else about them. Other than that I'm fine, just a little muscle-ache." he didn't know why he told them the truth, it was out before he even had the chance to think about it.

He showed them the scales on his neck, and barely managed to stop a shudder as Granger brushed her fingers over them too. Why was she so fascinated with them? It wasn't like it was anything special. He found it quite disgusting in fact; it was fish-scales for Merlin's sake! Granted, they were not slimy or anything, but the mere thought of it still made him shudder.

The undying thirst he had felt to and from all day started to come back with vengeance. He couldn't believe it! He had already been through four pitchers of water, why would he need more. He poured the last of the water left in the pitcher into the glass and drank it greedily.

"Do you want me to get some more water?"

Draco looked at her contemplating letting her get him some more water. The thought was very tempting and in the end, he couldn't deny his newfound craving for water. When she had left, there was an awkward silence between him and the Weasel. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to ignore him; he had never been able to ignore the red-headed boy.

They sat quiet for a while, but Draco noticed Weasley sneaking furtive glances at his neck. At first, he didn't think much about it, the scales felt so natural that he had forgotten about them. They followed his every move as if they were an extra layer of skin, which he supposed they actually were.

"Do they hurt?" Weasley asked when he noticed that Malfoy had seen him looking at the scales covering his neck. Draco was surprised that Weasley actually sounded concerned.

"No. I don't even notice them. It feels like they've been there all the time, except I have newfound craving for water." Once again, he found himself spilling thoughts to the Weasel as if they were actually friends.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by the doors to the Hospital wing opening. However, it was too soon for Granger to be back with his water. He was surprised to see his fellow Slytherin Blaise Zabini standing there. His dark hair was pulled back with a hair tie and his tanned skin was flushed from being outside in the cold weather. Though he was quite tall, taller than Draco, he looked small outlined by the immense wooden-doors guarding the hospital wing. He stood in the doorway, light-brown eyes darting suspiciously between Draco and Weasley. He opened his mouth to say something to Weasley when Draco decided to interrupt him.

"What are you doing here, Zabini?" instantly his eyes locked with Draco and they had a small staring contest. They had never been that close in the Slytherin dorms. They had only ever exchanged polite small talk, nothing else. Though Zabini was one of the Slytherin's he actually didn't mind. He was sharp minded but quiet. Nevertheless, Draco had somewhere along the line discovered that he had a wicked sense of humor.

Eventually Zabini gave into Malfoy's stare and he averted his eyes. He wasn't actually certain to what he was doing in the hospital wing anyway. He felt another's gaze on him and looked over at the red-headed boy. He couldn't get around his head why the Gryffindor was there alone. Just as he thought this, Granger came through the doors, carrying a pitcher of water and a plate of large sandwiches. She stopped when she saw the scene in front of her and looked between the three boys. She said nothing as she walked passed the dark-haired Slytherin, towards the bed Malfoy was in. The plate of sandwiches was placed on the bedside table beside the pitcher of water.

Draco tore his eyes from his fellow Slytherin and reached out towards the pitcher and poured himself a large glass of fresh, cold water. He gulped it down quickly and did the same to the second and third glass. The fourth he was content to drink from in a more sensible pace.

Finally Zabini deemed it necessary to ask what the Gryffindor's were doing there. It was Hermione that answered him, which didn't surprise him the least.

"It was our fault this happened, so we thought we should at least se how he was. That's more than I can say about some of the Slytherin's." She seemed quite indignant on Draco's behalf and Zabini was quite surprised that the Gryffindor's were doing something like this. Zabibi looked at Malfoy.

"Draco, I would have come, but-"

"Yes, I know." He did not say anymore than that and Zabini did not elaborate his awfully poor excuse. There was an uncomfortable pause for a few seconds and everyone shifted restlessly.

"So, where's Potter?

* * *

Harry was still in bed when Ron and Hermione got back from the hospital wing. There was a motionless bundle buried under the covers and Hermione felt as if she was checking on a small baby when she carefully pulled the covers away. His eyes were closed and the mouth was open slightly as he breathed. His face was unusually relaxed in sleep and he was breathing normally.

"He's still asleep." She said to Ron, who was on his knees, one arm under his bed searching for his Potions essay. She looked at him with a small amount of contempt and thought of telling him off. Eventually, she only rolled her eyes and let it slip for this time.

Ron looked up from under the bed and looked over at what he could see of Harry, which wasn't much from his current position. He gave up looking for his essay; he hadn't gotten more that three or four sentences on it anyway, he could always start over.

"Do you think we should wake him? It's not good for him to sleep the whole day; he won't be able to sleep tonight." His brows furrowed as he stood up and walked over to stand beside Hermione. He mused that Harry would be really irritated if he knew what they were doing right now.

"Maybe. But you said he had an extremely bad nightmare last night, right? Maybe we should let him sleep one more hour. If he hasn't woken by then, we'll wake him up."

Ron agreed that they would let him sleep another hour and they went down the stairs to the common room in the meantime.

They sat talking to the others; even Hermione had taken a day off from her studying. After almost forty-five minutes Harry came stumbling down the stairs, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He crossed the common room in a daze and fell rather ungracefully into an empty armchair to the right of Hermione and beside the couch where Dean, Ginny and Ron sat. Seamus and Neville sat in a smaller couch on the other side of Hermione.

"Thanks." He said simply, but they all knew what he meant. They knew it was not simple thanks for letting him sleep, but for so much more than that.

* * *

Sunday started out with a clear blue sky and a big yellow sun that shined down on everyone in Hogsmeade. Ron and Harry strolled a little bit ahead of Hermione and Ginny. The girls were gossiping and laughing and the boys felt if best to avoid that sort of talk. You would never know when you might get involved in something that was way over your head. They had just stopped in front of the one of the large tempting windows to Honeydukes when Malfoy and Zabini walked by them.

The two boys stopped abruptly when they saw Ron and Harry. They stood in silence taking in each other warily. They did not know how to act after they had been almost civil in the hospital wing. In the end it was Malfoy that nodded his head in a vague greeting.

The girls had by now caught up to them and stood beside the Gryffindor boys. It was Hermione, as usual, that made the first move.

"Do you want to come with us to the Three Broomsticks?"


	3. Chapter 3

**The Only Thing Left is the Emptiness**

**By LadyDiablo**

**Pairing: Ron/Draco Slash. Don't like, don't read.**

**Disclaimer: This is not mine. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

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I am so sorry I have not updated in a very long time, I do not have an excuse. You might have forgotten this story now… Anyway; finally, here is chapter 3. ENJOY!

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**Chapter 3**

They entered The Three Broomsticks, drawing curious glances from some of the people near the door. The group of six made their way to a booth near the back. For a long time they were just observing each other awkwardly and not talking. Ginny, feeling rather put out, glanced between the others with a frown on her face. She had of course heard of what happened in the potions-lesson, but she had no idea what was going on now.

The silence was broken when Madam Rosmerta came by asking for their order. Draco was the first to voice his desires.

"A pitcher of water, please. On the other hand, make that two." They looked at him strangely, making him squirm. "What? I'm thirsty." He said, taking offence at their stares. The others ordered butterbeer and various other drinkable things.

"You're out of the Hospital Wing, are you better?" Hermione asked after taking a sip of her drink. She looked closer at the blond Slytherin, noticing the black long-sleeved polo shirt covering his neck and wrists. He leaned on the table, looking bored as he answered her.

"Apparently Madam Pomfrey seems to think so. Still can't get enough water, though." He leaned his head in his hand, gazing with half-closed eyes at nothing.

Harry sat quietly, musing on the fact that they all seemed to get along remarkable well. Not even Ron was irritated with the Slytherins, which was something new. After observing them for a while, he noticed Ron throwing one too many glances at the blonde boy to be healthy. What was up with that? However, if he was honest with himself, he did have a clue as to what was going on. He smirked to himself behind his hand as he looked between Ron and Malfoy. Suddenly he felt someone nudging him subtly in the side. He looked up to see Zabini smirking at him, no, _with_ him. The dark-haired boy motioned towards the two other boys with his head and his grin widened, showing that he too had noticed.

"Do you think we should play match-maker, Potter?" he whispered in his ear as he leaned towards Harry. Harry could hardly smother a very un-manly giggle at the others playful tone. "You think we should?" he whispered back breathlessly.

"Definitely" was his answer.

As they were discussing their new mission quietly, Hermione tried to engage the other two boys in conversation. She had tried every topic from school and teachers to plans for the future. In the end, they had ended up discussing Quidditch and she was now half listening to their conversation, bored out of her mind. Draco ordered another pitcher of water, the rest of the time passed quickly, and they were soon heading back to Hogwarts.

The rest of Sunday passed quietly. Draco spent over an hour in the shower. He examined his wrists and was transfixed by the glittering scales on his skin. Running his fingers over them, he marvelled at how incredible soft they were. However, he could still understand how they could protect the body. How soft they might seem, they were still hard as diamond. He longed for a bathtub and decided to go to the Prefects bathroom the next morning.

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It was Monday again, Harry hated Mondays. Though he had had a good night's sleep and he was alert again - well more than he had been for the past days, he did still not like Mondays. The dreary day did only mock him that he had the whole week in front of him, before he could sleep in again.

He dragged himself out of bed and to the Prefect's bathroom. In Harry's opinion, the best thing about being a Prefect was the Prefect's bathroom. He walked down the corridor, still in a sleepy daze. He said the password when he got to the tapestry of Cecily the Saucy and did not blink an eye as he walked into the big exclusive bathroom. He did not notice that the taps to the tub was already on and that there were actually two people soaking in the bath already.

Draco and Blaise had got up early to have a chance to catch up on the latest gossip in the Prefects bathroom. Not thinking that they would be disturbed, they were surprised when the door opened and they saw a black-haired boy that they both recognised. They looked at each other and smirked when they noticed that he was not quite awake yet and therefore not aware of anyone other in the room. They leaned back and waited for the boy to notice them.

Harry started to undress slowly and when he was in his boxers, he decided to turn on some of the taps and fill the bathtub. However, he was quite astounded when he found several of the taps already running. For the life of him, he could not remember putting them on when he entered the room. It was not before he heard muffled snickers that he looked up.

His eyes enlarged to the size of golf balls when he noticed the two Slytherins. "Well, Potter, you sure seem more out of it than usual. One too many bludgers to the head?" Draco teased him lightly.

"What?" The reply was not much better, but in his state, he could not think of anything else. Rather, he could not be bothered.

"Articulate as always." The other boy said, drawing Harry's attention to him. Zabini was sitting at the left end of the large tub, at the opposite end of where Harry stood. It gave Harry a good view of the tanned boy's shoulders and wet tousled black hair. He blushed instantly. Malfoy snickered at Potter's expression, he turned back to watch Blaise's face and found himself drawing his mouth up in a small smile. Maybe his best friend had finally found someone worthy. About time…

Harry hesitated. Should he leave or should he join them in the bath? The warm water did look tempting and he had been yearning for a hot bath for days. His body and muscles were aching so bad. They had been civil the other day in Hogsmeade, had they not?

He decided to join them after all. He eased into the water, eyes closing, and sighed at the feeling of his muscles loosing up. He did not notice the looks he was getting from the other dark-haired boy. His eyes opened and he looked over at the other two. His eyes were drawn to Blaise first, taking in everything he could see of the boy. The water went to just under his collarbones, leaving Harry much to fantasise about. His eyes were next drawn to the blond boy, more specifically to the scales almost covering his neck and shoulders.

"What's that?" he asked without thinking, pointing at the silver-shimmering scales.

Draco looked down at himself, seeing the scales. The area covered with scales must have grown, he decided. Before he could not see those on his neck, now he could see them trailing downwards on his chest. He looked up at Blaise, frowning.

"Were there this much before?" He brought his hands up and noticed that the scales that before only covered his wrists, had now moved up to his elbow.

Blaise looked closer at his friend and noticed that indeed, the scales had expanded. "No, you're right, there was not this much before." They looked up at Harry simultaneously and had to restrain from laughing at his facial expression. They had to remind themselves that he had not seen the scales before.

"This is what happened after I got the potion all over me." Draco said with a smirk. Harry's eyes widened and he looked up at him with horror. Draco hurried to assure him.

"It does not hurt. I'm only thirsty all the time." He looked thoughtful for a second. "Though they seemed to have expanded." He suddenly noticed Harry had gotten very close to them all of a sudden. He sighed as he noticed the look in the emerald eyes and promptly held out his hands for the Gryffindor to touch.

"Yes, you may touch them." He resigned himself to his fate. It did not feel as uncomfortable as when Granger had touched them, though it was still very different from what Ron's touch had felt. Both Blaise's and Harry's touch felt kind of neutral, if that was possible. As Harry was caressing his wrists, he noticed Blaise stiffening beside him and looked over at his friend. What he saw there made him smirk to himself. His best friend actually seemed jealous. This was good, now only to get them together…

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At breakfast that morning, Pansy could not seem to stop fawning over Draco. She was terribly clingy normally, but now she was outright horrible.

"Are you really all right? You sure? We have to get them for this, the lousy Gryffindors!"

She just went on and on, but Draco just ignored her, he was used to her long monologues. Though he could not ignore the fawning and clinging, it was slowly getting on his nerves. She could be very annoying when she put her mind to it.

He took his arm back from her wandering hands and looked up and around the Great Hall. His eyes were immediately drawn to the Gryffindor table and the redheaded boy sitting there. Their eyes locked and they held each other's gaze for what seemed like eternity. He could vaguely feel Pansy latch onto his arm again, and as she did, he could see the look in Ron's eyes change. His eyes seemed to travel to the arm attached to Draco's, and when he noticed who it was and what she was doing, a scowl appeared on his face. Draco took in the look on the freckled face for a few seconds before he realised what it meant. He had seen it just half an hour ago in the prefect's bathroom. It was the same way Blaise had looked when Harry touched his scales. Ron was jealous!

Blaise looked at the redhead sitting at the other end of the Great Hall and saw his expression just as Draco had. His eyes shifted to the dark-haired boy sitting beside Ron and saw that he was smirking as he looked between Ron and Draco. He clearly knew what was going on, now they only had to figure out how to get them together. He would have to meet with Harry and come up with a plan, maybe something more while they were at it…

Draco drowned his glass of water and looked at the pitcher of clear cold water longingly as he got up from the table. Their first class of the day started in ten minutes and they had to get all the way to Hagrid's hut and Care of Magical Creatures in that time, so he had no time to waste on water. Maybe he would go down to the lake in the evening; it should not be too cold in the water yet, it was only September after all and school had barely started.

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The day had gone excruciating slow and Draco was at his last straw when Professor McGonagall finally let them go for the day, and they could get some dinner. He knees were bouncing up and down and his hands were fiddling with the paper napkin before him like a crazy loon. Blaise had looked at him with an odd expression on his face at first, but he apparently decided to ignore his best friend in favour of chocolate-dessert.

After dinner, they made themselves comfortable in the common room and started on their homework. They sat in silence for almost fifteen minutes, concentrated on their homework, before anyone spoke. Draco leaned over to Blaise and whispered quietly in his ear.

"I'm going to go up to the lake. Don't tell anyone." Blaise knew his friend did not want anyone to know, so he only looked at him with understanding and nodded. He rather wondered what it felt like to have scales, though he would not trade or anything.

Draco hurried up the stairs from the dungeons and out onto the grounds. He noticed that the sun was setting and it would soon be dark, though he still had some time to take a relaxing cold swim. At the lake, he stripped down to his under shorts and hurriedly jumped into the water. It had never felt this good to be swimming; he could feel a pleasant sensation travelling all over his skin, as if the water was trying to sooth him.

Ron stood in the sixth year boy's dorm, looking out the window. They had the fortune of having a view over the lake and too seldom, he took the time to enjoy the sight of the water glistening in sunlight or moonlight. He had been standing there for a while transfixed by the person swimming in the clear water. He had recognised him as soon as he saw him, the light coloured hair giving him away. He looked at the clock on Harry's bedside table and saw that it was only nine o'clock and there was still an hour before curfew. He quickly put on his cloak and headed down to the common room. He stopped by Harry to inform his best friend that he was going out.

"I just need some quiet time." He said, only half lying. Harry nodded and went back to his homework. Hermione, sitting on the couch across from Harry, only looked him suspiciously, but let it slide.

He swiftly crossed the ground, soon arriving at the lake. He did not see Draco, but he knew that he was still around here somewhere, because his clothes still lay neatly on the grass a few meters from the water's edge. He walked down to the water and put his hand in; expecting it to be cold, but it was not.

He looked up as he heard water splashing and saw the blonde haired boy swimming towards him. Draco had not seen him yet and he patiently waited for him to notice that he was not alone. The other boy looked up and stopped immediately in his tracks as his eyes locked on Ron.

"What are you doing here?" he stuttered, slightly panicked. Ron tried in vain to come up with a plausible answer, but all thoughts failed him at the sight of Draco's bare upper body.

"I-I saw you an-and thought I'd k-keep you company." He slapped himself mentally over the head. Idiot! Draco on the other hand, did not seem to notice Ron's idiocy, as he kept moving closer to the other boy. When he was standing right in front of the redhead, he slowly reached out a hand to take a hold of the other's tie. He slowly started to loose it as he spoke, more confidently than before.

"Well, then. Why don't you join me, it's quite nice in the water." He smirked in victory as he saw Ron's eyes glaze over, before he started to strip down to his boxers. Draco led Ron into the water, noticing the goose bumps it caused the other boy.

Ron snapped out of his stupor and before he could stop himself, he reached up to Draco's shoulders, putting his hands on the silver-glittering shoulders. It felt unreal to be running his hands over the soft scales and he noticed that they seemed to have moved out over the boy's shoulders, up his neck and down on his torso, since he last saw him.

Draco shuddered as he felt Ron's hands skimming over the unnatural things growing on his upper body. He lifted his own hands, not wanting to be idle, burying them in the red hair before pressing himself closer to the other body. It felt so good to have Ron's hands on him, not at all like Harry's or Blaise's touch, far from it. This was ecstasy, in its purest form and he did not want it to stop.

He looked up into the taller boy's eyes, suddenly aware of everything around him, the water around them, the crickets singing in the autumn breeze and all the smells from the earth. He slowly inched closed to the lips he found so incredible tempting and before he could react, they were kissing.

In their excitement, they did not immediately notice the scales covering more of Draco's body, not before they started up on his face. Ron drew away from Draco as if stung when he felt something other than the skin on Draco's face under his hands. He looked at him in alarm and Draco started to panic.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked in concern, not knowing what to think of the look on Ron's face.

"Draco… the scales. They're… growing."

Please R&R

_LadyDiablo_


	4. Chapter 4

**The Only Thing Left is the Emptiness**

**By LadyDiablo**

**Pairing: Ron/Draco Slash. Don't like, don't read.**

**Disclaimer: This is not mine. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**Chapter 4**

Draco quickly looked down on himself, instantly seeing the scales almost covering his body. He lifted his hands up to his face and felt, just as Ron had said, the scales creeping up his jaw. He looked up at Ron, seeing the amazed look on his face. He could see his arms and chest covered in the gleaming scales and he assumed his back was also covered. When he looked down, he saw that his legs were also covered.

He looked up at Ron again, eyes questioning. "Ron, what's happening to me?" His voice was small and quiet in the night-air. Ron did not say anything, but took the other boy in his arms, hugging him tight.

Draco sucked in several large calming breaths before he leaned his head against Ron's chest. He wrapped his own arms around Ron's waist, feeling strong arms around his own shoulders, comforting him. He was shaking slightly now, not from the cold because he could not feel that, but from all the terrible thoughts that ran around inside his head, giving him a slight headache. What if he would never get back to normal again, what if he was stuck like this forever? His mind became occupied with images of himself carrying around a large bottle of water for the rest of his life. He did not want to have to search for water every time he started to feel itchy, or have to drink 20 pitchers of water every day. He was almost on the brink of laughing at the insanity of the situation.

Ron drew back from Draco after a few minutes of holding him tightly, trying to stop the shivering. Their eyes locked as the blonde-haired boy looked up. "It will be okay, everything will be fine. You do not feel any pain, do you? As long as you don't feel any pain you have nothing to worry about." He was not so sure about that himself, but if it would calm Draco then it was good.

Ron let go of the other boy and told him that they should head inside; it was starting to get late. The sun had already set and it was rapidly getting darker.

Ron picked up Draco's clothes and handed them to him. The blonde dressed as if in a daze, it didn't seem as if he cared that he was getting his clothes wet. The 'old' Draco would never do something like that. Though, the old Draco would never date a Weasley either.

Date… did this mean they were boyfriends now? Ron looked over as Draco dressed quietly, stuck in his own thoughts. He didn't know if he should bring up his newfound thoughts or not, but after a short debate with himself he thought it best to wait and not bother the Slytherin with something like this right now. He had enough on his mind as it was.

They walked in silence side by side back to the castle, both in deep thought. In a moment of Gryffindor bravery, Ron took Draco's left hand into his own right. His face was flaming red, he knew that, but it didn't matter as he saw a blush creep up on Draco's cheeks. He was surprised, he never thought he'd see the Slytherin Prince blush and certainly not after the amazing kiss they had shared before.

They soon reached the entrance hall and had to go separate ways. Ron noticed that the scales on Draco's face had receded somewhat and he thought that he would be able to cover them up with a high turtleneck. He mentioned this to Draco before giving him a short goodnight kiss. Draco started down the stairs to the dungeons, but couldn't help but look back once, only to see Ron still staring at him. It reassured him, told him that everything would be okay. He had good friends to help him through whatever was happening to him.

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The next day Draco had carefully donned a black high turtleneck underneath his robes and also a pair of black leather gloves. He tried his best to ignore anyone looking at him funnily, but it was not easy.

Blaise had a hard time keeping from laughing, but knew he had to if he did not want to invoke the wrath of a Malfoy. It was just that the sight of the blonde all covered up was so unusual, even though he knew the reason. He had seen how the scales had expanded and understood that Draco wanted to keep his secret at all costs.

The day went by quickly enough, nothing particularly exciting happening. In potions, Harry and Blaise flirted without knowing it and Ron and Draco shared a few glances as they laughed at their unsuspecting friends. At dinner Draco completely ignored Pansy's questions about why he was wearing a turtleneck and gloves. He thought about how good it had felt to swim in the cool water of the lake the day before, even though what had happened had also scared him to death. It wasn't as if it hurt or anything, but the mere thought of turning into a merman and not be able to turn back scared the wits out of him. Despite of his fears, he thought of going down to the lake tonight also, just to ease some of the stress building up. If it could ease some of the longing in his body, then it was worth it.

The rest of the afternoon and evening went by as normal, they did their homework, Draco and Blaise played a game of exploding snap as they tried to avoid talking about anything related to two particular Gryffindor's. They stayed as far away as possible from that topic. Though they both knew they should talk about it, they didn't know how to approach it.

It was almost half past eight, when Draco had finally had enough of the Slytherin common room. "I'm going down to the lake again" he said quietly to Blaise, who was curled up in one of the black armchairs in front of the fire.

The black haired boy looked at his friend thoughtfully. "Can I come too?" he asked finally. Draco looked surprised at the request, but didn't complain. "Sure."

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Draco dove into the water without hesitation. He swam under the surface a few meters before resurfacing some distance away. Blaise made himself comfortable on the grass beside the lake, it was way too cold in the water to even think about it. He sat there studying the other boy as he swam and dove to his heart's content, looking completely satisfied with life.

The scales that were once again covering most of his body, glowed a reddish-grey in the light of the setting sun. Blaise had an eye out for other students, but it seemed they were all luckily inside the castle tonight. To be on the safe side, they had put up a notice-me-not spell and a spell that would alert them should anyone come near.

Draco turned around and walked towards Blaise. "So, what's up with you and Harry, huh?" he asked out of the blue. Blaise's head snapped up and looked at the blonde in both surprise and chock. "What do you mean" he stuttered.

Draco smirked. "Don't play dumb with me. I've seen the way you look at him" _And the way he looks at you, _he added mentally. He lay back in the water, floating, as he looked up at the rapidly darkening sky.

He heard Blaise draw a shaking breath. "Yeah, well… I don't even know if he likes me." He sounded a little put out and Draco rolled his eyes. His friend could be really dense sometimes. Before he could remark further, he felt a stinging sensation running through his lower body and up his torso, making him draw a sudden shaky breath. He stood up from his floating position, hoping it would go away. No such luck, it only seemed to get worse.

Abruptly his legs gave out, and he went under the surface. The throbbing pain continued and he couldn't seem to get a hold of his legs to stand up. Soon a different pain started, making him gasp and draw in breaths of water into his lungs. His legs felt like the bones were being ripped out and it left him weak and unable to fight anymore.

Blaise shot up into a standing position as soon as his friend went under. What was going on? He ran down and into the water, trying to see into the dark water where Draco had been before. About two metres to the left he could see something light in the black water andhe assumed that it was Draco's head. He immediately reached over, grabbing hold of his friend and dragging him up so he could get air.

Draco desperately drew after air as soon as he realised he was not under the water anymore, though he immediately started to cough up the water in his lungs. He felt really heavy, and how much he tried, he could not seem to get his legs in order to stand up. He hung limply in Blaise's arms for a moment, trying to calm down. Blaise dragged him towards the shore and they soon came to more shallow waters.

Draco heard Blaise inhale sharply and he looked up at his best friend. Even though he was in quite an awkward position to be looking at his friend's face, he could see that the dark brown eyes were almost impossibly large and staring at him in fascination mingled with horror.

Blaise opened and closed his mouth as he tried in vain to speak. "Draco…" he whispered finally. "What, Blaise?" Draco looked down at himself to see what had caught the other's gaze so. He blinked stupidly for a few moments, before his brain was registering what he was seeing. In his dazed mind, his thoughts centred on one thing only. _Well, no wonder it was difficult to stand_.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Only Thing Left is the Emptiness**

**By LadyDiablo**

**Pairing: Ron/Draco Slash. Don't like, don't read.**

**Disclaimer: This is not mine. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter 5

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**Last time**: In his dazed mind, his thoughts centred on one thing only. _Well, no wonder it was difficult to stand_.

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He had a tail. A long silvery-blue tail that started a bit under his bellybutton and went on for what seemed like forever. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered that Blaise was lowering him down on the ground. He started to frantically feel up and down his legs, as if to really make sure that he wasn't seeing things. The scales felt surprisingly dry and soft, not at all different from the other scales on his body, though what had he expected? The fin felt kind of strange, however. He could feel the muscles that made up the tail and instinctively wondered how fast he would be able to swim with his new addition. Finally Blaise's voice filtered into his head.

"-get some help! Got to get you safe, can't stay here, got to get back to the dungeons. You've got a tail. I'll go get Dumbledore, yeah, that's good, let's get the head…" he was rambling and on the verge of a panic attack.

"Blaise…" Draco tried to get the attention of his friend, without success. "**Blaise!**" The dark eyes of the other boy snapped to his grey eyes immediately and he could see the desperation there. They had got to do something and soon, before someone saw him. He looked down on his fin and tried to get it to move. To his surprise, it responded immediately to his inner demands. For something so large, it lifted easily up off the ground.

"Blaise, you've got to help me inside the castle." He said with finality after a few moments of silence. His friend had come back to his senses and calmed somewhat as he slung Draco's arm around his shoulders and tried to heave him up. After a few tries, he sat down beside the blond boy. "You're too heavy, I can't help you alone." he said, panting.

"What if we…" Draco hesitated before going on with his idea. "What if we get help from Ron, Harry and Hermione?" He didn't know if it was a good idea or not, but they desperately needed help immediately and he couldn't think of anything else. He did not want to get the headmaster involved, or anyone else for that matter.

"All right, that might work. You stay here and I'll get them." Draco did not have the time to say anything before Blaise was on his way to the castle and the Gyffindor tower. He sighed as he looked down on himself and his newly acquired tail. He decided he would be safer in the water at the moment, where no one would see what was below the surface.

He carefully made his way down to and into the water, getting the feel of his tail for the first time. From the instant he made contact with water, he could feel how powerful the tail was. It was pure muscle after all. He made a few experimental strokes and felt how he shot forwards several meters. Exited now, he started to swim more, diving up and down in the water and getting the hang of it. He felt as though he could spend more time underneath the surface, although he found out the hard way that he could not breathe under water.

He had become strangely calm after Blaise had left. There was no idea to worry about something that he could not do anything about. Right?

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Blaise ran as fast as possible over the grounds of Hogwarts and into the Entrance Hall. He started up the stairs and loudly cursed the Founders for placing Gryffindor high up in a tower. Eventually he saw the portrait of the Fat Lady. Fortunately he remembered that Harry had talked about her, otherwise he would not have known where the entrance was. He rushed up to her and started banging frantically on the frame, hoping that someone would hear.

"My dear boy! What do you think you are doing?" The Fat Lady started to complain loudly. "Did your parents not teach you any manners?" She huffed and turned her back to the dark-haired boy, no intentions of opening whatsoever. Just then the portrait swung open and Hermione looked back at him in chock, much to the surprise of the irritable Lady.

"Blaise?" She opened wider and let the panting boy in, before closing the portrait again. "What's the matter?"

"It's Draco…" he had to stop and catch his breath before continuing. Ron's head snapped up from his homework at the mention of his boyfriend's name. The concern could be heard clearly in his voice. "What's wrong?"

"He… we need your help…" He explained everything in a rush and before he knew it the four of them were hurrying down the stairs that he had ran up not so long ago. Harry had hurried up to the dorms and grabbed his Invisibility cloak; they might need it after all.

The sight of Draco came as a chock to them, though they knew from Blaise what had happened. Ron thought he had been prepared, but he couldn't help but stare at the blond boy when they came to a halt at the edge of the lake. He could see Draco swimming around further out in the water and he got a few glimpses of what he presumed was the tail. As soon as he saw them, he turned and swam towards the shore. They could all see him more clearly now.

"Wow…" Harry was the first to react; though that was the most intelligent thing he could think of at the moment. Draco had dragged himself up and now sat on what would have been his knees, had he still had legs.

Draco's patience was running low. "What are you waiting for? Don't just stand there!" Ron ran down into the water and tried to get Draco out of the water. He put his arms under the others armpits and started dragging him, seeing as that was the easiest to do.

"This is not very dignified, you know." Draco complained sullenly as Blaise took a hold of the fin that had been dragging on the ground. "You've become really heavy, Draco." He said with a grin. He knew how it would infuriate his friend. Harry took a hold on Draco's back and tried to keep is hands away from what would have been his behind, though the scales that crept up the small of Draco's back were very slippery.

"Potter!" Draco's screech resonated in the night and the others immediately hushed him. "Keep your hands in line." He said a little quieter. "Maybe you should trade place with Ron?" he asked hopefully. Hermione interrupted them as she flung Harry's Invisibility cloak over Draco and tucked it in safely so that no part of him would show. However, the other three ended up looking quite stupid, as they made their way slowly up to the castle.

It took some time getting to the Entrance Hall and it didn't help that Draco had a difficult time keeping still. Blaise was truly exasperated in the end, having been far too close to Draco's occasionally misplaced fin. Now they only had to get down to the dungeons without being seen.

Getting down the stairs was a challenge. Keeping quiet was not the easiest to do either, but somehow, almost half an hour later, they found themselves outside the Slytherin common room. Blaise, who still held Draco's tail, let go of him and went into the common room to see if they could get in unnoticed. The Invisibility cloak slipped down and off Draco's body. Ron lowered Draco to the stone floor and sighed with relief, rolling his shoulder. Draco closed his eyes and leaned back on Ron's legs.

Ron looked down at the boy sitting at his feet, thinking how unearthly he looked right now. Technically he was, though that was not the point. Draco's wet hair combined with the scale covered tail and bare upper body, made him entrancing.

He soon noticed Draco squirming with discomfort. "You all right?" he asked. Draco looked up at him and gave a small smile. "Of course. Just thinking about how I'm going to sleep if this fin doesn't disappear." He deadpanned, making Ron stare at him in chock.

Blaise came back out and reassured them that everyone was asleep. They lifted him up again and after covering him once more with the cloak, they made their way as quietly as possible into the common room and then to the boy's dorms. Ron struggled to open the door to the dorms with his elbow and push it open it with his back, but managed after a few tries.

The Slytherins were lucky, there were only two boys per room and Draco shared his dorm with Blaise, so he didn't have to worry about anyone walking in on him. Hermione closed the door behind them and the three boys dropped Draco to the floor, sitting down themselves in exhaustion. They all gave sighs of relief; they had managed to get all the way from the lake to the dorms without being seen. Now they had to figure out Draco's sleeping arrangements.

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Thank you to all my reviewers. Love you all!

Please review and tell me what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**The Only Thing Left is the Emptiness**

**By LadyDiablo**

**Pairing: Ron/Draco Slash. Don't like, don't read.**

**Disclaimer: This is not mine. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**Chapter 6**

Draco sat with his back against the side of his bed and looked at the others in the room. They were all sprawled out on the floor or beds, panting. His fin refused to go away; he had thought it would go away when it dried, but it did not.

Hermione was not out of breath though, seeing as she had not done much besides lead the way. She sat on the Blaise's bed and looked around thoughtfully, no doubt trying to come up with some good answer to the question about where and how Draco would sleep.

Blaise and Harry sat on Blaise's bed, still gasping for breath. They sat close, almost leaning on each other and Draco could not help but smirk at the scene.

Ron on the other hand was sprawled out on the floor, leaning back on his hands and long legs spread out out before him. His red hair was tousled and his cheeks were red. "You're bloody heavy!" he exclaimed.

Draco looked affronted, but did not say anything. Of course, he would be heavy with a long chunk of muscle instead of legs. He placed his hands on his bed behind him and started to heave himself up to sit on the edge of the bed.

"I don't know about you, but I'm tired." He looked at the others and noticed Hermione yawn. She got up from his bed and walked towards Ron. She stuck out her hand for him to take and pulled him up from his position on the floor.

"Yes, me too. Let's go back to our dorms. There's nothing we can do for Draco right now, anyway. We'll just have to wait and see if the tail disappears while he's sleeping." She sounded resigned. "If it doesn't disappear I'm going to the library first thing in the morning."

Harry's head rose from where it had been resting against Blaise's shoulder. "We have classes tomorrow…" he whispered uneasily and looked at Draco's tail, which was flicking back and forth, as he sat on the bed. Draco looked up from where he had seemingly been transfixed by the shimmering scales.

"I can't go to class like this!" The panic could be heard clearly in his voice. He looked between them and finally settled on Hermione, as she usually seemed to have an answer. She sighed and looked back at the boy. It was difficult for her to admit that she did not have an answer.

"I will go to the library before and between classes and see if I find anything. Otherwise…" She cut herself off, not wanting to go down that road just now. They might have to talk to a teacher. In her opinion, they should have done that from the beginning, but Draco and the others had somehow talked her out of it.

She turned and headed for the door, but turned around again when she noticed that neither Ron nor Harry was following her. She could immediately feel a blush rising on her cheeks as she took in the scene before her.

Draco sat on his bed; on what would be his knees, had he had any. It looked like he had been in the process of putting on his nightshirt, but was now engaged in a rather hot kiss with Ron. His shirt hung from his right arm, forgotten. They kissed slow and deep, and after Hermione got over her embarrassment, she was surprised at the sincerity of Draco's expression.

Both Harry and Blaise looked at the two with their mouths open in astonishment. Harry shook his head before looking at Blaise the dark haired boy beside him, blushing. Their eyes met, Harry smiling shyly, though Blaise's smile was a bit more confident. Their hands were locked and had been for the last few minutes.

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. _Boys!_ She thought, exasperated. "Harry!" she said loudly before the two could even start. Better to stop it before it got out of hand, otherwise she would never get them back to the Gryffindor tower. The boy jumped high and looked up at Hermione.

He looked sheepishly at Blaise and smiled before leaning in and giving him a small peck on the mouth. "Good night, Blaise." He said quietly, before rising from the bed and starting to drag Ron from the room. "See you tomorrow at breakfast." He smiled at the gob smacked expression on Blaise's face, strangely proud that he had managed to surprise the otherwise calm and cool Slytherin.

Ron was not ready to leave yet and he made that extremely clear as he fought against both Harry and Hermione on their way to the Gryffindor tower. At last he calmed down somewhat, but he was still irritated with his friends. He marched on before them, doing his best to ignore them. They made their way into the common room undetected and the boys said goodnight to Hermione before going upstairs to their dorms. Both Harry and Ron fell asleep with a small smile on their faces.

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Blaise woke early Wednesday morning by a loud thump from the other bed in the room. He rolled over sleepily and opened a tired eye to see what was going on. When he finally registered what had caused him to wake, he could not help but burst out laughing. Draco sat on the floor beside his bed, holding his forehead. He was tangled in his sheets and his tail was flipping back and fort in frustration.

After he finally managed to calm down from his laughing fit, he looked at Draco to see if he would get an explanation on why he was sprawled on the floor. Though he had a good idea of what had happened, he still wanted to hear it from his best friend.

Draco looked at Blaise with a scornful expression. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he untangled himself from his sheets and heaved himself up on the bed again. Blaise nodded with a smirk. "I…I forgot." Draco said at last, motioning down to his fin.

It had not disappeared over night, as they had hoped. Blaise's face turned serious. "Well, you just have to stay here today. I'll tell the teachers that you are ill or something. I'm certain Hermione will drag us to the library, but I'll come up with some breakfast later, okay?"

Draco lay down on his bed again as Blaise disappeared into the bathroom. He sighed to himself and silently wondered what he was going to do now.

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As promised, Blaise came back with some toast and a pitcher of water for Draco before his first class.

"I talked to the Gryffindors." He said as he gathered up his books and put them in his bag. "Hermione said she had been to the library already and started the research." Draco perked up at that information and he now had a little hope of everything turning back to normal.

Blaise soon had to leave, the Slytherins had Potions first, but he promised to be back again at lunch with some food. Draco was immediately bored, seeing as he was not able to get out of bed without having to go through all kinds of exercises. After an hour of staring up into the ceiling, he decided that he would take a bath. Though the bathtub in their bathroom was not nearly as large as the one in the Prefects bathroom, it was enough.

With much difficulty, he finally managed to get to the bathroom. He crawled his way there, and was immensely grateful that he was alone and that no one had seen his stunning performance. He leaned over the tub and turned on the taps. The water started to fill and with it, a great deal of bubbles. He smiled in satisfaction before lowering himself into the water. _This was heaven…_

His eyes flew open at a loud knock on the bathroom door. A voice he recognised filtered through the door. "Blaise told me that you were ill. Are you all right?" Severus! The panic that he felt at that moment was beyond words. His heart was stuck in his throat and he had difficulties breathing. Why, of all the times, did his Head of House decide to be worried about him right now?

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Sorry for the long wait…again. I hope you like it and thanks to everyone that reviewed.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Only Thing Left is the Emptiness**

**By LadyDiablo**

**Pairing: Ron/Draco Slash. Don't like, don't read.**

**Disclaimer: This is not mine. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**Sorry it's been so long, sadly I don't have any excuses except writers block and laziness… ducks flying fruit and vegetables**

**Anyway, for those of you still reading – enjoy!**

**Chapter 7**

"Draco?" He could hear Professor Snapes voice clearly through the door. "Draco, I'm coming in."

Draco heard the handle turn and immediately sunk as deep in the water as he could and made sure the soapsuds covered him.

Snape looked inside, spotting Draco in the large tub. He did not look very ill, though his face was a little pale. He opened the door further and walked inside the bathroom. "Are you ill?" he asked suspiciously, something was not right here and he would find out what. He walked closer to Draco and noticed him move as far away from him as he could, pressing himself to the opposite corner of the bathtub.

"I-I feel a little better now." Draco stuttered as he watched his Professor come closer. Snape's eyes narrowed and for a moment, Draco thought Snape knew. However, after a few excruciating long seconds, he nodded. "Ok, good. I hope to see you at classes tomorrow, then." Snape turned and walked out of the bathroom, without a spare glance backwards, missing the relieved expression on Draco's face.

Snape closed the door to the bathroom after himself and stood there a while. Something kept nagging him, something important. Why would Draco look so scared of him, he was after all a very good friend to the family. They had known each other for a long time, believe it or not but Snape had changed his share of nappies on little Draco when he had been bullied by Narcissa to baby sit. He had actually enjoyed taking care of young Draco, to some extent anyway.

No, he would find out what was wrong. He turned and opened the door without knocking. He stood in the doorway, mouth wide open and Draco's name on the tip of his tongue.

He had come in to ask Draco what was wrong; the sight that greeted him was not what he had expected. Draco was in the middle of heaving himself up from the tub and while one might expect a naked teenager, that was not what greeted Professor Snape. He blinked hard several times and pinched himself in the arm to make sure that he was not dreaming.

Draco froze in fear as the door opened again. What he had been trying so desperately to hide from his Head of House was now glaringly obvious. Hurriedly he sank back into the water, but he knew it was too late. Snape had seen it, he had seen everything.

In a fit of out-of-characterness, Snape raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the tail, which was again under the water. He wiggled his hand back and forth and tried to get his mouth to respond to his brain.

"Wha- that…how- why?" he continued to wiggle his finger at the tail.

Draco sighed, knowing that he could not get out of it now. He heaved himself out of the water and sat on the edge, baring his tail to his stunned Professor.

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Ron and Harry were on their way to lunch in the Great Hall, Hermione trailing behind them. Ron glanced at Harry secretly, deciding that he looked healthier than he had in a long while. Neither he nor any of the other boys in their dorm had been disturbed by Harry's nightmares. He was happy for his friend, but wondered what had made him sleep so soundly for once. He reasoned that it probably had something to do with Blaise. Whether it had something to do with dirty dreams or the feeling of having finally found someone special, Ron did not think about.

He turned around at the sound of someone running down the hall. Harry's face lightened up at the sight of his almost-boyfriend's appearance. "Blaise!" He said happily, not immediately noticing the panicked expression on the dark-haired boy's face.

"You got to…" he had to pause to gather his breath. "You've got to come! It's Draco! Professor…Draco…bath…hurry!" Without completely following the other's sentences, they ran after him as he turned and ran towards where he had come from. Ron could feel his heart in his throat, a feeling of dread setting in.

They all ran down the stairs to the dungeons and as they neared the portrait to Blaise's and Draco's room, Blaise shouted the password, not caring that anyone could hear it. He had come back from an early lunch and walked into their shared rooms only to see Snape standing in the doorway to the bathroom, mouth open and eyes glued to the tail that was now part of Draco. He had immediately run to get help from the Gryffindor's, because he had a feeling that they needed help to explain everything to the Professor.

As he heard the commotion behind him, Snape turned around from his position on a chair that he had conjured just inside the door of the bathroom. Draco was still on the edge of the tub, not wanting to move from the water. What he saw in the bathroom door would forever be etched into his mind.

Blaise stood in the front, hands on knees, trying to catch his breath, while Harry Potter stood behind him, a hand on Blaise's shoulder. The remaining two of the Gryffindor trio stood beside them, looking at the Professor with dread.

Snape looked up at them, expression caught between the usual sneering one at the sight of the Gryffindors and a slightly more stunned and disbelieving one when looking at Draco.

For a short while there was an uncomfortable silence, as no one knew where to start. As usual, Hermione was the first one to say something.

"It happened after the Potions-accident." She didn't feel she needed to say anything else, as it was pretty obvious. Snape looked at her for a short second before returning his gaze to Draco. He still looked quite disbelieving, but a calculating look had started to form on his face.

"How long?" Draco looked at Snape questioningly. The professor repeated the question. "How long have you known about the tail?"

"Eh…a few days, I guess. Four, maybe five." He did not really know how to explain what had happened to him. He continued when Snape nodded. "At first only scales appeared on random places on my body, then the tail appeared yesterday. I can't get it off! I had to sleep like this the whole night; I don't know what to do!"

He was starting to panic, and Snape rose from his seat and walked around the bathtub to where Draco was sitting.

"You have known for so long, why didn't you tell me? He looked concerned, though it didn't show on his expression. "I take it the others know?" He motioned to the doorway where Blaise, Ron, Hermione and Harry were still standing. They nodded mutely.

"You have to help me; you're the only one who can." Draco looked up pleadingly at his Professor. Snape looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding.

"Of course. I'll begin research immediately. You are excused from classes, seeing as you…" He trailed of as his eyes were drawn to the fin yet again. "Anyway. I'll see what I can do. Stay here and make sure you are not seen." Snape turned around and walked towards the door, the others parting for him. As soon as they heard the portrait slam shut, Harry, Ron and Hermione released the breaths they had not realized they had been holding. Blaise sagged against the wall beside the doorway, one hand covering his eyes.

Ron looked at Draco a few seconds, before a grin made its way onto his face. "I have _never_ seen Snape look so stunned!" The others looked at him before they too smiled at the thought of the look on their Professor's face.

Draco took a deep breath, calming himself down from the panicked state he had been in. He had a feeling that he was going to be thoroughly examined and prodded before this whole mess was over. Though he could not help but cracking a smile at what Ron had said. Too bad they had missed the expression on his Head of House when he walked in on Draco out of the water. Now _that_ was a sight never to be forgotten.

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Snape heard the portrait close after him and he turned to walk towards his classroom. He still had classes to teach that day, but he knew he was going to be a tad distracted.

The shock of seeing his favored pupil with a fin instead of legs had worn of, but now came the questions. How had it happened? Would it wear off by itself or did he have to come up with an antidote? Is it dangerous to Draco? Seeing as the tail had not appeared immediately after the accident, Snape thought it would wear off sooner or later, but he did not want to take any risks. Maybe he would have to ask Albus. He shuddered at the thought of the Headmasters twinkling eyes and the never ending lemon drops. He knew the old coot would think it 'a perfect opportunity' for something or another. Him and his non-ending ideas of uniting the four Houses…

Snape stopped short at that last thought. Gryffindor. Why had the three insufferable Gryffindors been there? He stood blinking in confusion for a few heartbeats, before shaking his head and continuing on his way. He did not want to think about it, he had enough with Draco and his tail.

Please R&R


	8. Chapter 8

**The Only Thing Left is the Emptiness**

**By LadyDiablo**

**Pairing: Ron/Draco Slash. Don't like, don't read.**

**Disclaimer: This is not mine. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**Author's note: I passed my latest exam and was in a good mood, which resulted in a lot of smut ;**

**Chapter 8**

Severus Snape sat in his chambers, books and papers strewn all around him; on the table, on the sofa and on the floor. It had been a long time since he had become as engrossed with something as he was right now. The enigma that was currently Draco Malfoy had him both fascinated and exasperated. He had almost forgotten his own classes - God forbid he was late and the little bastards spread some bizarre rumor about him.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He could still see the shimmering tail in his mind, transfixed because he had never seen anything like it except on real fish. The mermaids in the lake had fins of course, but theirs were dark and murky in color. Because they lived in dark waters of the lake, evolution had taken its toll on them; there were no need for rich colors or shimmering scales when no one could see them. The colors would only draw attention to them from other predators in the lake.

He sighed wearily and returned to his books, determined to find a solution. He had neglected lunch in favor of research, and was starting to regret it now as his stomach gave a loud protest. He couldn't be bothered to go down to dinner, so he called a house-elf, asking for a sandwich.

He leaned his chin in his left hand, sandwich in other hand, as he read through a passage talking about transfiguration gone wrong. It seemed like he was on the right track, but one had to be careful with things like these. If not done correctly, something even worse could happen.

The book said there was a kind of reverse-charm, but that it was rarely used, because of the immense risks. This was the only book that mentioned it; a book from Snape's personal collection and one of a kind. Snape leaned back in his chair and sighed, the half eaten sandwich already forgotten on the table. He brought his hands up to his face and rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

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Ron was hurriedly gathering food in a napkin and stood up from the table, not noticing Harry smirking at him. Before he left though, he heard his friend's quiet comment. "Say hi to Draco from me."

Ron looked down at his friend still sitting at the table, frowning. "You're not coming?" he asked quietly. They couldn't talk too loud about it, considering everyone had ears the size of dinner plates and curiosity of approximately ten cats.

"Ah, no. I'm meeting with Blaise, maybe we'll be down later." The casual way Harry said it almost had Ron fooled, like he was talking about the weather. Ron gave his best friend the same smirk he had unknowingly gotten before. "Right" was all he said before leaving.

Ron found Draco in the tub, as he had predicted. Remembering the password from before, he had simply let himself inside the Slytherin common room. Luckily everyone seemed to be at the Great hall for dinner, so he made his way towards Draco and Blaise's room. Not seeing Draco anywhere in the room, he knocked quietly on the bathroom door before opening it.

Draco had his arms draped over the edge of the tub, one arm cushioning his head as he slept with his body still in the water. Ron smiled at the sight. He sat down on the floor in front of the blonde boy and put the food down. For a while he occupied himself with just looking at the other, fascinated. The scales on his wrists gleamed in the flickering candlelight of the bathroom. He could see the bluish scales creeping up the pale exposed back, the water only going up just above Draco's waist. For the first time he noticed that the scales on the tail were a tad bit darker than the ones on his wrists and neck.

Slowly he reached out, lightly touching the exposed scales on the blonde's wrist, the one closest to him. Stroking with his fingers over and over, completely entranced, he did not notice Draco shifting his head slightly. When he finally looked up from what he was doing, his eyes locked with darkened silver eyes.

Draco woke to the most wonderful feeling ever. He could feel soft fire curling in his stomach and spreading out through his entire body. The feeling was something so intimate that goose bumps appeared on his skin making him shiver, though not from cold.

Draco opened his eyes and slowly looked up from his position on his arm. Ron sat cross-legged on the floor in front of him, fingers stroking the scales on his wrist gently. He could feel the fire traveling from that single place, down to his stomach before expanding through his entire body. Ron looked up from his exploration of his hand and Draco's own gray eyes locked with clear blue. He knew what his eyes probably looked like now, and knew instantly that Ron saw it too. Before anyone could say anything, Draco leaned up on his hands and closed the space between them and kissed the boy softly on the mouth. He didn't force the other, but let his own tongue dart out to lick the other's lips. The simple kiss lasted a few seconds and when he pulled away, he could see the change in Ron's eyes too.

After seeing that he wasn't the only one reacting to the kiss, he heaved himself up to a sitting position on the edge of the tub, simultaneously bringing himself closer to the other. Not seeing any kind of protest on Ron's face or in his eyes, he leaned in a second time, this time deepening the kiss slightly.

Not many words were exchanged for a while, the food also forgotten. Ron's hand found itself on what would have been Draco's thigh, the sensual feeling of the scales something new to him. As sensual as it was for Ron, the feeling of the redhead stroking the sensitive scales was driving Draco insane. He leaned into Ron, wanting more contact. They lost their balance, leaving them both toppling to the floor, Ron on his back with Draco on top. The kiss was broken and they looked at each other, silly grins on their faces. Ron couldn't help but to laugh out loud with joy as he saw the beautiful smile on Draco's face; in his eyes. Feeling the other's laughter, the smile on Draco's face spread making his eyes shine with contentment.

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Harry walked back and forth three times before the entrance to the Room of Requirement. When he entered he looked around, immediately finding the other sitting on the couch in front of a cheerfully burning fire. He marveled at the dark brown hair shining a reddish-black in the light from the fire. Blaise looked so good in a black hooded sweater and casual dark blue jeans. The other looked up from his book as he heard someone behind him.

"Hey Harry! You came." Blaise sounded relieved, as if he didn't think Harry would come. Harry seated himself beside Blaise on the couch, legs tucked beneath him.

"Of course." He smiled at Blaise, making him blush lightly. They sat looking at each other for a few long seconds before Harry broke the silence.

"How's Draco?" Blaise startled at the question, but smiled. "He's fine. Spent practically the whole day in the tub, the lazy arse."

"Well, he's not alone now; Ron hurried down with some dinner just now" Harry said. They looked at each other and smirked, thinking of what their respective best friends were probably doing now and wishing that they were doing the same. Blaise was not shocked when Harry leaned towards him, green eyes smoldering. He met him halfway, a content sigh escaping him as their lips met.

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Hermione leaned back in the couch, putting the book down in her lap. Her gaze searched itself towards one of the windows in the tower automatically. It was dark outside already. She smiled lightly as she thought of her two best friends. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous, even though she was happy for them.

She felt someone sit down on the other end of the couch and looking up she saw Neville there, smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Hi Neville" she said, glad to have someone to talk with. The other boy may be shy at times, but he could usually hold up a conversation better that anyone else, except Harry. No one could talk like Harry if he put his mind to it. Too bad he usually couldn't be bothered, as it was too troublesome. Neville was surprisingly bright, with the exception of Potions of course. Though she knew it had more to do with the teacher than the actual subject.

"Where's Harry and Ron?" he asked, settling down with one leg on the couch. Hermione could not help but notice that he had changed a lot from the small pudgy boy in their first year.

"Out somewhere" she said, shrugging. Of course she knew where they were, but for obvious reasons she pretended not to. The boy nodded and opened the book he had brought. She could not see the title, but she would bet her last knut it had something to do with Herbology.

She continued to observe him quietly, soon realizing that he was quite good looking, in a boyish kind of way. His dark chocolate colored hair was slightly curly and stood out in all directions, longer then she remembered. His face, which used to be quite plump, had lost its baby-fat but still had a slight round form to it. She could see that he had a few freckles, though nowhere near the amount Ron, or any Weasley for that matter, had. As he smiled at her, she had glimpsed a row of straight white teeth. His body had slimmed out too, making him look quite good. She flushed as she realized what she was doing and picked her book back up again to continue reading. They sat in comfortable silence, nobody feeling the need to break it.

TBC


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